Many state governments sponsor lotteries in which players choose a set of numbers and purchase a ticket containing these numbers. A daily or weekly drawing is then conducted using a mechanical device which randomly dispenses numbered balls, and players win money depending on the quantity of balls matching their ticket numbers. The tickets are purchased for a standard cash price at sales locations which may in some cases be connected to a central computer, and payments to winners are made in cash at these outlets or at a lottery office. Such lotteries are sometimes automated, using equipment such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,494,197 and 4,689,742 to Troy et al. and 4,323,770 to Dieulot et al. Such a lottery system will not perform satisfactorily in a casino, since profits will depend on the number of drawings that can be conducted in a given accounting period and the time required to print tickets, collect wagers, and make manual payments limits the speed at which games can be conducted. To maximize profits, drawings should be continual and the personnel needed for accepting wagers, paying out winnings, and securing the area should be minimized. In addition, slow-paced, fixed-wager drawings are less satisfying to players, who generally prefer faster-paced, more exciting games and who may wish to bet larger amounts in anticipation of a larger payoff. Therefore, in certain regions, keno parlors have been provided where such drawings are conducted at frequent intervals, such as every 5-10 minutes. Keno is a social game, rather than an individualized game of chance such as a slot machine. In keno parlors, players pick a desired group of numbers. Then, 15-20 numbers out of 80 possible are randomly selected, one at a time, in a central location in the parlor as players watch. All players compare their "picks" to the same set of chosen numbers. While freestanding automated keno games which draw numbers for a single player have been developed, these games do not provide the desired social aspects and group excitement of keno since players at individual machines are not affected by the same drawing.
Manual keno games are very popular, but are costly to operate since a large number of personnel are needed to accept bets before each draw, conduct the draw, and make payoffs after a draw. In a typical gaming jurisdiction, regulators will permit casinos to set odds for keno such that the casino's gross profit is about 28 cents of each dollar wagered. However, because of high personnel costs, the typical net profit for keno games is only a few cents for each dollar wagered.
Efforts have been made in the past to automate such keno games. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,786,234 to Trent et al. and 4,033,588 to Watts show systems for expediting and automating customer transactions in a centrally-drawn keno game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,424 to Hedges et al. shows a remote gaming system with terminals which can be used to play keno and several other games after account ID data is entered. In one disclosed embodiment, a matrix of transparent conductors is mounted over a screen and the player touches the matrix at indicated points to place bets. The area touched is "blinked" to acknowledge an input. U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,164 to Monfort shows a processing system for a gambling game which stores game data on a card.
A number of systems have been developed which automate portions of other games of chance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,798 to Siekierski et al. shows a gaming system incorporating a random number generator which takes wagers on game outcomes and pays off winners. U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,612 to Lange shows a system for taking horse race wagers in which manually-completed tickets are scanned at a terminal. The wager data from the tickets is transmitted to a central processing unit which keeps track of bets and maintains a user credit balance. Other gaming systems in which a central computer services a number of terminals are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,810,627 and 3,909,002 to Levy, 4,283,709 to Lucero et al., 4,206,920 to Weatherford et al., 4,815,741 to Small, 4,775,937 to Bell, 4,636,951 to Harlick, 4,880,237 to Kishishita, 4,669,730, and 4,335,809 to Wain.
Systems have been developed which permit arcade games to be played on account. U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,622 to Pellegrini shows an electronic access control system for coin-operated games in which magnetic account cards are used to identify an account maintained on a central computer. The computer activates arcade games and deducts money from the appropriate account to pay for the game. Punched cards have been used for other purposes such as to activate hotel room door locks, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,447 to Crafton.
Finally, certain techniques have been developed in an attempt to make gaming systems fail-safe or tamper-proof, although none of the prior art systems has been entirely satisfactory in this regard. Such systems are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,782,468 to Jones et al., 4,108,364 to Tanaka et al., 4,275,456 to Tanaka et al., and 4,727,544 to Brunner et al.
Prior systems have not achieved acceptance in the casino industry in large part because they do not offer adequate security and tracking functions. In addition, previous designs have incorporated expensive individual terminals. Because a large number of individual gaming terminals are needed in a full-scale casino operation, high per-terminal costs quickly multiply the total system installation and maintenance costs, so that the systems cannot be cost-justified. Thus, none of the previous systems have been satisfactory for use in a casino environment where reliability, simplicity of operation, and high levels of game security are required. Therefore, there is a need for a secure, reliable, low cost gaming system that conducts a series of exciting, fast-paced matching games, will meet regulatory requirements, and which also provides complete accounting and tracking information relative to the game.